Fern Mallis's Private Viewing Of THE FASHION SHOW At The W Hotel

Last night, in the Presidential Suite at the W Hotel in Times Square, Fern Mallis, Vice President of IMG, a force behind Fashion Week, and now a face of Bravo's THE FASHION SHOW, held a private viewing party for family, friends, colleagues, and... us. The newly renovated suite was privy to no more than 25 or so fashion insiders, celebrating THE FASHION WEEK's arrival to television last night with champagne and companionship, thanks to Fern Mallis herself. And we were there cheering Keith Lissner on (the winner of the first challenge!); Go here to see what he has to say about the show.

More insider story, interview with Fern, and pictures after the jump... Even though the man of the moment, Isaac Mizrahi, and his lady in waiting, Kelly Rowland, were not present, it seemed as if everyone else was, as during a commercial break, Fern gave a toast to the room, congratulating all those there who had made the show possible, including Bravo executives, producers, and stylists. While the crowd was hushed during the show to take it all in (Merlin's feather hat had even Fern cracking up again), the commercial breaks promptly brought the chatter back up to an all time high as guests swapped secrets ranging from highlights to dermatologists (Pat Wexler is still reigning apparently).

As for Fern herself? Even though she even jokes she's gotten the title of "Firm Fern", she seemed anything but. Appearing humble and excited in discussing her involvement with the television show is not what you would expect from the Vice President of IMG - the company, and the woman, that is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to Fashion Week every season - but that is exactly how she came across. Her praise for Mizrahi and his obvious sense of humor, as well as her compassion for the designers and everyone involved (she particularly brought up the moment in the first episode when the girl trips on her dress) from start to finish directed the conversation away from herself and more towards the show. Bringing it back around to this powerhouse in the industry, I asked if she'd ever be willing to do something like The September Issue, (Anna Wintour's movie based on her job in the fashion industry) now that she's put herself out there in the reality world. With a big smile, she said "Who knows? Anything is possible!"

Rebecca Weinberg, Ryan Berit, ?, Darshan Gross